What was the original meaning of the word klezmer?
klezmer (n.) (plural klezmorim), by 1913, originally, “itinerant East European Jewish professional musician,” from Hebrew kley zemer, literally “vessels of song,” thus “musical instruments.” By 1966 in reference to an old style of Eastern European Jewish music or orchestras that played it.
What is klezmer clarinet?
Klezmer (Yiddish: קלעזמער) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for listening; these would have been played at weddings and other social functions.
What mode is klezmer music in?
Klezmer music tends to make use of the raised 4th degree in both, ascending and descending forms, though in pieces where the nominal mode is Mi Shebarach, the natural and raised 4th may often be used interchangeably, or in alternating sections.
Is klezmer A jazz?
The Yiddish word klezmer is derived from two Hebrew words: kley, which means tool or vessel, and zemer, which means song. Thus, as one famous klezmer has said, the musician becomes the vessel through which song flows, a concept that most jazz lovers would find quite congenial.
When did the term klezmer music become common?
It was not until the late 20th century that the word “Klezmer” became a commonly known English language term. During that time, through Metonymy it came to refer not only to the musician but to the musical genre they played, a meaning which it had not had in Yiddish.
Where does the word klezmer come from in Hebrew?
The term klezmer, as used in the Yiddish language, has a Hebrew etymology: klei, meaning “tools, utensils or instruments of” and zemer, “melody”; leading to k’lei zemer כְּלֵי זֶמֶר , meaning ” musical instruments “. This expression would have been familiar to literate Jews across the diaspora, not only Ashkenazi Jews in Eastern Europe.
What kind of scales are used in klezmer music?
Many songs have alternating sections with major and minor keys. Klezmer music often uses “folk scales ,” or scales commonly found in folk music, such as the harmonic minor and phrygian dominant. Instrumental tunes often follow the types of chord progressions found in Middle Eastern and Greek music,…